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A's picked Prieto 5th overall in the 95 draft, two picks ahead of Todd Helton. This has caused much garment-rending and tooth-gnashing among us A's fans over the years. Prieto had huge hype as a Mystery Cuban Pitcher, but never really amounted to much.

Oh, and Cespedes hit a real bomb in the real game against the Orioles. Dude's legit.

Ariel Prieto was one of the first "prospects" I ever drafted in my Scoresheet career.
I was positive he was going to be something (I wasn't looking at stats very well back then), and held on to him for two years.
"He's gonna be better than van Poppel!"

Prieto is probably more than an interpreter. He was a minor-leauge pitching coach for the A's in 2011 and probably still holds some title in the organization. But, hey, if he can make Cespedes more comfortable, he's probably worth more as an interpreter than a low minors pitching coach.

Speaking of Cuban defectors, I would like to finally publicly thank Rolando Arrojo for helping me to my first fantasy league title in 1998.

Cespedes is going have to take a rest. Left the game with a sprained ankle.

???
He was in LF at the end.
Anyway, he better stay healthy -
A's record with Cespedes: 71-40.
A's record without Cespedes: 12-21.

After last night's game, as the A's were walking off the field, Amazing GF called it: the A's are winning it all this year. I immediately made her knock on wood, cross herself three times, throw salt over her shoulder, and cross a black cat's path... but as of this AM, she is sticking to her pronouncement. Whatever happens next, it's her fault.

For what it's worth, the defensive numbers are "consistent" in that they say he's been horrific in CF (relative to average CF) and just standard bad in LF (relative to average LF).

The number of fast guys -- guys substantially faster than Cespedes -- who are surprisingly bad in CF and/or surprisingly average in LF is pretty long. Raines, Brock, Roger Cedeno, Vince Coleman just off the top of my head. Baseball is a funny game.

After last night's game, as the A's were walking off the field, Amazing GF called it: the A's are winning it all this year. I immediately made her knock on wood, cross herself three times, throw salt over her shoulder, and cross a black cat's path...

The number of fast guys -- guys substantially faster than Cespedes -- who are surprisingly bad in CF and/or surprisingly average in LF is pretty long. Raines, Brock, Roger Cedeno, Vince Coleman just off the top of my head. Baseball is a funny game.

This is kinda like putting Bob Hayes and Willie Gault at wide receiver. Speed is good, but it's just one tool.

I've really enjoyed this baseball season, maybe more than any since 2001. Lots of surprising stories, but even more than the Orioles, that the Athletics sit two games back of the Rangers on September 16 is not something anyone would have predicted this spring.